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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bark — to shout
  4. drill — army training
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rest — what's left
  7. clip — a video
  8. root — of a plant
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. root — the cause
  12. tube — a container
  13. rest — what's left
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rest — a break
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. clip — for paper
  21. root — of a word
  22. tube — the underground
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com